worksmarterwithpsychology

End the TSA! Expensive and unnecessary! Advanced Stage Cancer patient, who must fly for treatment, gets humiliated by by pat downs!

2013-11-07T07:22:00.000-08:00

The Transportation Screening Authority is not achieving its objectives, and continues to cost billions. In addition to subjecting invasive screening procedures that do not make us any safer, the TSA is very expensive. The Behavioral Screening program alone has 2800 employees, and these employees are not receiving any special training. An anonymous TSA official reports that hispanics and blacks are being profiled illegally and inappropriately. In addition, the TSA has increased its costs dramatically -- $19.7 billion in 2008 to $52.2 billion in 2011. Also, the safety of the scanners are at best questionable. I have advanced stage cancer, which began in my colon. It was detected back in July 2012. A year later, the treatment available to me in Miami was not doing the job, so I began flying up to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America's Southeast Regional Treatment Facility, located outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I was flying up every two weeks and now it's every three weeks. Each time I fly, since I already have advanced cancer, I opt out of the xray machine and get patted down. I am assigned a woman, but have to endure having my breasts and labia rubbed down. Yes, its the back of their hand, but it is still invasive and inappropriate. I recently spend 100 dollars to join the PreTSA check program, which is now open to the public. While I did get a shorter line, I was still subjected to a "random" pat down! As I was being forced to endure this humiliation yet again, I vowed to blog about this issue and post the end TSA petition available on Moveon.Org's SignOn website. My chemotherapy often sets off the device that is supposed to detect explosive chemicals, so that is a further problem for me. The TSA is horribly expensive and unnecessary, and needs to be eliminated. They have made promises to improve their procedures over the years and nothing significant has been achieved. The Progressives and Tea Party members both hate this program, so why can't we do away with it altogether? Please sign the petition link below and share on Facebook and Twitter today!

New York Times article reports that TSA is not achieving its objectives

Government Accounting Office questions huge increase in costs of funding TSA

Study questions safety of the hgh tech TSA xray scanners

Abolish TSA now! Petition on Moveon.org

Failure to Rescue

2013-08-23T17:58:00.001-07:00

This is not your usual perspective on the common medical error "Failure to Rescue." Failure to Rescue is usually associated with surgery, and often with nursing care. Listed below are several typical publications associated with the term Failure to Rescue. Being an Organizational Psychologist, I tend to take an broader view of situations and issues. I am currently sitting in a chemotherapy infusion unit of the Southeastern Regional Center of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. I have advanced stage colon cancer.
How did a health nut who has been compliant with regular checkups get into this situation? After all, advanced stage colon cancer is preventable. However, it is only preventable when one has consistent, affordable insurance coverage and insurance which covers individuals with specific medical needs. My specific medical need is Crohn's colitis. I've had incidents of colitis attacks since the age of 28. Sometimes I've required Emergency Room treatment and sometimes more extensive hospitalization. I've had to go several years without insurance, at various times of my life. It was during one of these periods, in my late forties, that the cancer in my colon grew. However, even with health insurance, I was almost always unable to tolerate the preparation drugs to clean out my colon. The colitis would act up, and I would not be able to finish drinking the preparation because of vomiting. The only way to properly prepare me would have been to give me IV medication to prevent vomiting. This is almost always not covered by insurance.
Yet, a Google search located an article posted on a website dedicated to Laparoscopic Surgery Training clearly documents the difficulty many patients have with the current regimes for emptying the bowel prior to a colonoscopy. The recommended procedures do not appear to be covered by insurance, because the doctors I had did not offer any of them to me when I failed to complete the standard prep procedure. So, the cancer progressed. Now my insurance is paying big time, for all the scans and expensive drugs needed to treat advanced cancer. What sense does that make? I am responding well to treatment, but I am one of the few patients that is compliant with the dietary recommendations to fight cancer.
I also have lots of people from many different faiths praying for me, and lots of support from my church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints -- Mormons). I also have support from 12 step groups, and my blessed family. I am hoping that the small steps toward improving the health care system which are embodied in the Affordable Health Care Act will at least help those who are able to tolerate the standard prep for colonoscopies. However, wouldn't it be nice if all necessary procedures for those in need of them could be covered as well?

www.cancercenter.com

GUIDELINES FOR THE BOWEL PREPARATION PRIOR TO COLONOSCOPY
Premier Institute of Laparoscopic Surgery Training (June 7, 2013)
http://www.laparoscopyhospital.com/Bowel%20preparation%20prior%20to%20colonoscopy.html

Advancing Age and 30-Day Ad
verse Outcomes After Nonemergent General Surgeries.

Gajdos C, Kile D, Hawn MT, Finlayson E, Henderson WG, Robinson TN.

J Am Geriatr Soc. 2013 Aug 8. doi: 10.1111/jgs.12401. [Epub ahead of print]

Wright JD, Ananth CV, Ojalvo L, Herzog TJ, Lewin SN, Lu YS, Neugut AI, Hershman DL.

Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2013 Aug 8. doi:pii: S0002-9378(13)00830-2. 10.1016/j.ajog.2013.08.006. [Epub ahead of print]

PMID:23933221,[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Becoming a Playwright and helping other Playwrights succeed as well

2012-06-05T08:27:00.001-07:00

Back in the fall of 2008, I attended a Harvard Club of Miami Fall Kick-off party. The host of this party, Lynda Esserman, began introducing me to everyone as a playwright. I actually thought of myself as a novelist, and I'm not sure why she thought I was a playwright, but I did have one short play tucked away in a file drawer that I had written back in 1996. I didn't want to correct her, because I was new to the group, so I went along with her enthusiasm. Ms. Esserman put me in touch with another Harvard Club of Miami member, Richard Janero, an established playwright. I wound up attending a reading of Richard's at Gablestage. Afterward the reading, another South Florida Writers Association (http://southfloridawritersassn.org/play_writing_contest) playwright, Margaret McLaughlin,who also had a short play tucked away, approached Richard and the actors for help and advice for doing a public reading. Although that evening we received encouragement and not much else, it was a beginning.

SFWA reading of "The Strangers", by Margaret McLaughlin. Cast from Left to Right: Chris White, Lynn Mackinnon, Laura Mackinnon, Margaret McLaughlin, John Kolash, Don Daniels, Holly Schwartztol, Jonathan Rose

Pat White, professional actress who did the first reading of "Trust Bank"

A couple of months later, another South Florida Writers Association member, Jonathan Rose, invited me to a play reading on Miami Beach. This group, formed by Arts at St. Johns, was producing readings of short plays by local writers, so I submitted my work, and two of my plays were read: "Trust Bank", which is about a very aggressive bank associate pressing an unhappy account holder to apply for an expensive, high interest credit card; "Ocean Drive, Miami Beach", which is about homeless people living in one of the most desirable tourist attraction in the world. I am very grateful to my mother-in-law, Pat White, a professional actor, who read the play "Trust Bank" with Chris White, another professional actor, also her son and my husband. That first reading helped me make the changes I needed to submit it to Arts at St. Johns for the Miami Beach reading. These plays were well received, so I was encouraged to get a public reading for the same play I had approached Richard Janero about, "The Planets Speak". This play was eventually to be included in a collection of play readings to served as fund raiser for the Family Counseling Services (http://www.familycounseling.org/) of Greater Miami. Almost $600 was raised from that performance, which was staged at Gablestage, a venue generously provided by Joseph Adler (http://www.gablestage.org/). Professional as well as experienced volunteer actors from the Miami Beach group and the SFWA performed magnificently. Dee Deringer-Piquette starred as Earth, the lead character in the play, and gave a spell-binding performance. The friend I attended Richard's reading with also had her play read on Gablestage, as well as the winner of our first Playwright Contest at SFWA, Ann Dichelle ("Debbie Squared").

"The Planets Speak" Cast, from left to right - Christopher White, Don Daniels,
Jonathan Rose,Dee Deringer-Piquette, Dorothy White (Playwright), Norma Chew, Holly Schwartztol, Lynn Mackinnon

The South Florida Writer's Association had been tremendously supportive of my play writing, and they asked me to serve as their President for one year. I thought it was definitely payback time, as well as a wonderful opportunity, so I agreed. I haven't had much time for my own writing as a result, but I've learned a tremendous amount from this experience. The new SFWA President, Ricki Dorn, has now been installed and sworn in by Mayor Cindy Learner of Pinecrest, FL. I ran for Program Director and won, so now I have to find speakers for the next year, but I now have no excuse for not writing. This position is much less time consuming than being President! At the time of this writhing, our 2nd place winner, for the 2012 Playwright Contest, Linda Cardinal Schneider, is now busy producing a reading of her play, "My Name Is Solamae." (http://www.solamae.com/). I've already read her book, so I'm looking forward to attending the reading.

I can't believe how far the South Florida Writers Association has helped me come since that Harvard Club of Miami meeting in 2008. SFWA is an incredible organization and I encourage all members and prospective members to get involved by serving on our board, attending our monthly meetings, entering our contests, and attending our critique groups. Success is just around the corner if you put your heart into it!

"Debbie Squared" Cast:

Julia: Norma Chew

Johnny: Chris White

Tucker: Don Daniels

Richard: Stephen Lombardo

Logan: Eduardo Perez

Two major Democratic party politicians call for protests

2012-05-08T16:48:00.001-07:00

Something amazing has been happening lately in the American political landscape. Two major Democratic party politicians are calling for protests, rather than just encouraging voters to visit the ballot box. These two Democratic establishment figures are none other than Robert Reich, former Labor Secretary under President Bill Clinton (http://robertreich.org/post/12859224847) and Al Gore, former Vice-President, also under President Bill Clinton
(http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/08/04/al_gore_we_need_to_have_an_american_spring.htm). How has it come to this? Our own elected officials are stating, quite unequivocally, that our electoral process is no now longer sufficient to enact meaningful reform in government. I believe they are correct.
The Koch brothers, oil magnates who have been indicted for pollution, have thrown their billions into funding ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. This outfit actually writes bills that have been voted on, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, in both national and state assemblies. One of the bills is the infamous "Stand Your Ground" law that has enabled shooters to dispatch anyone they think might be a threat to them. This law is how George Zimmerman is justifying the shooting of Travon Martin.
ALEC-Koch brothers sponsored legislation is also behind the law that requires women who chose abortions to receive an ultrasound -- which they must pay for out of pocket (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/29/us/virginia-senate-passes-revised-ultrasound-bill.html?pagewanted=all). I've had this procedure, and believe me, there is nothing more invasive than having a huge wand inserted into your vagina. These laws passed in spite of lack of public support -- fully 56 percent of the population in Virginia oppose this law (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74295.html). If our democracy was functioning properly, this law never would have reached the floor for a vote, let along get voted into law. Our democratic process has been circumvented completely, and we have no choice but to protest.

Unfortunately, protesting isn't what it used to be. http://occupyarrests.moonfruit.com/ states that 7125 people have been arrested since the Occupy movement began last fall. Occupy protests are taking place in medium-sized cities and even small towns. In contrast, ACTUP demonstrations focused on large cities and the arrests were counted in the hundreds, not thousands (http://www.actupny.org/documents/cron-93.html). Recently, the ACLU criticized the Defense Department for characterizing peaceful protests as "Low level terrorism" (http://www.aclu.org/national-security/aclu-challenges-defense-department-personnel-policy-regard-lawful-protests-%E2%80%9Clow-le).
The Atlantic Wire came out with an article commenting on police brutality towards Occupy protestors. (http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/10/occupy-movement-adds-volume-police-brutality-complaints/44012/). Al Gore and Robert Reich are well aware of the dangers of protesting, and yet they call for it. In the past, no member of the an established political party would have asked their supporters for direct action. The idea was that elected officials, once in power, might make speeches and perhaps ask for letters or emails to congress, but never protests. Such is the state of our nation. Very sobering.

Michigan Rising

2012-04-10T13:09:00.004-07:00

Why all Americans need to support Michigan Rising, a movement to recall Governor Rick Snyder

http://www.peoplestribune.org/PT.2012.01/PT.2012.01.04.shtml In March 2011, the Michigan legislature passed the Local Government and School District Financial Responsibility Act (Public Act 4). This legislation gives the governor the power to take over cities, counties and town governments and replace elected officials with appointed corporate managers. These appointed managers can revoke and declare null and void any existing contracts, including those with labor unions.

http://markmaynard.com/2011/04/and-so-it-begins-benton-harbors-efm-first-to-invoke-new-powers-dissolve-elected-government/

Benton Harbor has already been dissolved. Imagine the hometown you grew up in dissolved by fiat. No vote needed, no input from the community, just dissolved. No matter what your political leanings, this much power is simply Anti-democratic. Adolf Hitler dissolved cities and towns as part of his takeover of Germany. He used "emergency powers" to do so. Eventually, he dissolved the German congress as well, and then murdered his rivals in the Night of the Long Knives. We, as American citizens, must fight back against this abuse of power. Let's support our brothers and sisters in Michigan with donations, volunteer work, and spreading the work about Michigan Rising. Recalling Governor Snyder is vital for our democracy, no matter where in American you live.

GOP Destroys American Dream with help of Media

2011-08-02T10:08:00.001-07:00

Paul Krugman recently wrote in an editorial for the New York Times, “Republicans have taken America hostage, threatening to undermine the economy and disrupt the essential business of government unless they get policy concessions they would never have been able to enact through legislation.” Democrats gave away the store – no tax hikes for the rich, and allowing Medicare to be put on the table. How many people here have paid into Medicare?

Paul Krugman also said, “The cult of balance has played an important role in bringing us to the edge of disaster. Voters won’t punish you for outrageous behavior if all they ever hear is that both sides are at fault.” The media continues to report as if we have reached a compromise. There has been no compromise. Our economy is being destroyed by reducing revenue and cutting spending in the midst of a recession. Even 60 percent of the members of the Tea Party wanted a compromise to avoid defaulting on the Nation’s debt, but their opinions have gone almost completely unreported in the mainstream media, and, we have seen, completely ignored by their so-called leaders. After the right wing Governor of Wisconsin took office and proposed union-busting legislation, he received emails protesting the new laws against collective bargaining. According to an analysis by the Associated Press, those emails outnumbered supportive emails by 55 to 44 percent. The right wing ignored those emails then, and our emails are being ignored now. That’s why Americans must take to the streets, because too many of our leaders shutting us out. Turnout tends to be low except for presidential elections, so extremists have been stuffing ballots and funding attack ads that spread lies about democratic candidates. Once in office, they turn a deaf ear to their constituents, claiming to have a mandate. No voter has given them a mandate to destroy America!

We must be heard today. At rallies like this all over the country, citizens are bypassing the media and speaking out against the right wing extremism which is driving us into a double dip recession.

Where are the jobs?

Where is the tax reform?

Save the Dream!

Wisconsin Protests and Hitler -- the Connection

2011-03-04T18:45:00.001-08:00

The country of Germany, prior to the takeover by Adolph Hitler, had a strongly worded constitution -- the Wiemar Constitution -- that was very similar to our own. Historian William Shirer, in The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, stated that the Wiemar Constitution as "on paper, the most liberal and democratic document of its kind the twentieth century had ever seen ... full of ingenious and admirable devices which seemed to guarantee the working of an almost flawless democracy." Part of the problem was proportional representation. Again, at first glance, proportional representation seems like a good idea. If a certain party recieved a certain number of direct votes from citizens, that number of votes equaled the number of representatives allowed in the German parliament. Unfortunately, this system was not orderly. No one party was able to achieve a majority. According to Shirer, there were 28 political parties in the 1930 national elections. Another historian, Otto Friedrich, cites 40 different groups in the Reichstag in 1933.

Adolf Hitler, German Dictator, rose to power using
legal moves until he was in position to take
over the government

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1707887,00.html

Presidential powers were also much greater than here in the United States. The German constitution actually kept the basic structure held by the old monarchy. Adolf Hitler, who became a brutal dictator, used Article 48, the so-called Notverordnung (emergency decree) provision, to get rid of civil liberties. There was an insufficient system of checks and balances. People who get angry with the Supreme Court and want the sitting President to appoint judges who are very biased in favor of his or her political views would due well to remember what happened in Germany without the checks and balances we enjoy here in the US.

The civil rights Adolf Hitler cancelled were the rights of someone to not have the police enter their home without a search warrant, the rights for groups to have meetings, the right to free speech, and the right to a fair trial.

Adolf Hitler also soon used this emergency power to dissolve the congress as well as disempower the rights of the states to govern themselves. Towns and cities were also dissolved by fiat, as they are being dissolved by the Governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, who is using the Local Government and School District Financial Responsibility Act (Public Act 4).

How does the lessons of the Wiemar Republic apply to what has happened in Wisconsin? The right to unionize is part of the right to form a group. Those who don't like unions should think about their own groups. Do you belong to a church group or synogue? Do you belong to a bowling league? Do your children attend scouting activities? Do you like being able to discuss politics openly and without fear of being arrested for disagreeing with the party in power? Remember, the unions are being attacked because they back the party that is not in power at the moment. What if it became illegal to listen to certain radio broadcasts? Maybe you like to listen to Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. What if Obama had declared himself King of America and outlawed those programs?

Wisconsin protesters continue to organize to
fight for their rights to form unions

Governor Walker told the police to arrest the Democratic Senators he doesn't want to bargain with. Arresting Senators is prohibited by the Wisconsin Consitution. Governor Walker also instructed police to store large numbers of guns and bullets close to the capital. Governor Walker told the police to close the Capital building at night. The Capital building is supposed to be open to the people at all times. Governor Walker is already ignoring important parts of the Wisconsin Constitution in order to attack the right to form unions. He should remember that if President Obama were to follow his lead, he could declare the State of Wisconsin illegal and have Governor Walker arrested. Wisconsin union rights protesters say they will continue to go to the capital to fight for their rights. They lost the governor recall, but they did take back the senate. Governor Walker has also had to assemble a legal team to deal with corruption charges.

Our civil rights are not guarenteed just because they are written on a paper. We must stand up for them. Yes, it is important to vote, but sometimes we have to take to the streets. Back in the 1930's, the Germans didn't do enough of this. I'm sure many of them thought it was be Ok to vote for Adolph Hitler because they assumed he would respect the constitution. He didn't. When he invoked the emergency powers act, the Germans should have taken to the streets and resisted goverment authority. Even if it meant getting beaten up, put in jail, or even killed. My friends have been beaten by police during protests. I have gone to jail for protesting. While I was in jail, I was denied food and water for eight hours. I had to fight to use the toilet. It could have been worse. I could have been killed by the police, or by protesters on the other side. I took that risk knowingly. I'm an American. My ancestors risked everything to establish the Constitution of the United States. I will help enforce it. I believe in preserving my civil rights. Do you?

I'm a Psychologist, not a Miracle Worker

2011-02-17T11:31:00.000-08:00

It happens every so often. Not too often, thank goodness. A client with whom I've been working with for years starts to get worse. The psychotic hallucinations return in force. Disturbing voices are heard. The client's behavior becomes erratic. The staff at the nursing home becomes distressed because of the behavior. Sometimes, blame is cast on staff and family members, due to false and bizarre accusations of the psychotic client. Weeks pass as I try to determine whether a disturbing new memory is working it's way to the surface. Such memories are a symptom I can treat, and usually with great success. Then, I find out that the psychiatrist has either reduced or changed the medication. Nothing was said to me. I was kept in the dark about this grand experiment. I have a weapon, however. I can write very descriptive notes describing the breakdown. I can advise the staff that the client needs to be reevaluated by the psychiatrist, or sent out to the hospital if it's an emergency. I can't be shy about these situations, because everyone involved is in danger, and I may be the only one to see the entire picture.
There are management situations similar to the above scenario. Sometimes the one who is most acutely aware of the situation may not be in a position of authority. That problem can be solved by asking the right questions about how to proceed. Sometimes, the one who is in authority may be fearful of intervening, because he or she doesn't want to appear to be overbearing. This latter situation is most likely to occur if the authority has only recently been confered upon the individual. Leadership decisions may or may not be appreciated or understood by those affected, even when they are the right ones. Years ago, I was a young graduate student counseling children with emotional problems in a day camp. It was a beautiful and woodsy setting. As the summer was drawing to a close, the young staff members wanted to come back one evening for a party. The director wisely said no. I couldn't understand his decision at the time. I thought it would be great if we could have a few drinks and run around under a canopy of stars. He knew better. The danger and thus the liability for the camp were unacceptable. The director hosted a party at his house, where he could supervise the situation. I think about his decision and my feelings about it at various times over the years. I'm glad he resisted the urge to be the "good guy" and say yes to our inappropriate request. As leaders, we are sometimes called upon to intervene in a way which may make us appear unsympathetic or even hard-nosed. That's just how it is.

US Dept. of Education and Union Institute and University

2010-10-12T10:02:00.001-07:00

Union Institute and University has a low graduation rate, so avoid it!

この大学は低い卒業率ので、それを避けるためにしています！I have updated this post to include a Japanese translation of the English phrase "Union Institute and University has a low graduation rate, so avoid it". I see on my Twitter search for Union Institute and University that they are recruiting from Japan, so I used Google translation and I've updated my blog on Union Institute and University to include the Japanese. If anyone reading this can check this translation or can ask a friend to do so, I would greatly appreciate it. The low graduation rate figures come from this website, which rates schools in the USA: http://www.american-school-search.com/review/union-institute-university

My own troubles with this institution of higher learning began back in 2004, when I received an email by the President of Union Institute and University, Roger Sublett, that stated that UI&U had been censured by the United States Department of Education. All of the doctoral students received that email. The email didn't describe exactly what the details of the original complaint were that led to this censure, but it did list details of Union's response to the censure, which was the firing of almost all of the faculty of the Graduate College due to the limits on federal loans imposed on the university. This email promised many reforms, which were not effective in meeting the needs of the students but did suffice to placate federal officials, which finally lifted the restriction in 2007. I took a look at my balance sheet in 2008 and realized that I had already borrowed the maximum amount I could to finance my Union education. Given the massive delays that reduced from the closing of the Graduate College in 2004 and the subsequent false starts with inadequate administrative staff and faculty, I didn't think they would mind giving me some tuition credit so I could finish my degree. I had high hopes, too, that my service to them as President of the Learners Council would cause them to want help me stay in the Graduate College's doctoral program. They refused. I found an attorney, who documented my case thoroughly and requested that they reconsider. They refused again. My attorney contacted the US Dept. of Education and requested information about the 2004 censure and severe limits on financial aid that that agency imposed at that time. He was ignored. In desperation, and with little hope of success, I contacted my Congressional Representative, Ilena Ros-Lehtinen. A couple of months later, I received the letter posted above, which was a copy of the letter her office sent to the US DOE (Click on the image in order to read it). I was pleased that Union's fraud finally had been taken seriously, especially by a Congressional Representative.
Almost a month later, the DOE responded to Rep. Ros-Lehtinen. David Heath, an official at the DOE, replied that while Union had limits put on federal financial aid, that the loans were not completely suspended. This assertion was not consistent with the email from President Sublett in 2004, which stated that the loans had been completely suspended. This assertion is also not consistent with my experience at the time, in which I was first Secretary of the Learner Council and then President. To my knowledge, no doctoral student at the Graduate College was receiving federally guarenteed student loans. I wrote again to Reb. Ros-Lehtinen, requesting further clarification regarding the limits on the financial aid that David Heath did allude to, and the reasons for those limits. I didn't expect anything but a polite letter stating that I had my response already and that I should be content with that. However, I receive another letter dated September 24 that they had forwarded my request for clarification to the U.S. Department of Education. I will keep you posted about the DOE's next move.

The November Elections

2010-10-05T07:47:00.000-07:00

I'm glad I'm feeling reinspired again. The efforts of the Democratic party have us closing in on the Republicans by 6 points since the last poll, among likely voters. This news inspired me to give again. I remember when I was younger and was out there marching, protesting, calling on the phone. In fact, I was on my way to make calls to support Governer of Massachusetts Michael Dukakis and my husband and I had a serious fight. Ostensibly, it was over him telling me to take my umbrella with me, but I knew the real reason. It was because he didn't want me to take political action. He was quite a bit older than I was and didn't really want women to achieve greater power in this society. That's a vital part of the Democratic platform. If the Democrats didn't support women, Republicans wouldn't either. They would never take the lead in the area of gender equity. Those of you who think you can have it both ways -- that women in office and Republicans go together -- remember that these token women Republicans have to support anti-choice, anti-family positions. Yes, Republicans are anti-family, because they support a family-killing corporate oligarchy that forces people to work long hours for very little pay, students to take on killer loans for higher education programs from which they only graduate fifty percent of the time and which often don't help them to earn enough money to pay off the loans. Impoverished loan-holders then can't buy a home or even get jobs because they are in default. This corporate oligarchy leaves millions of Americans completely uninsured, and denies life-saving benefits to those who are insured. This corporate oligarchy is polluting the earth. This corporate oligarchy sustains inequity so they we will have one war after another, and then denies benefits to wounded returning soldiers. Even if Democrats do turn this election around, we will have to fight everyday for change. That's how it goes.

Log Cabin Republicans

2010-09-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

I've been fascinated by this group for years. Back in the 1990's, this group was especially interesting to me. That's because the Bush One era really discriminated against homosexual men by denying funds to research HIV/AIDS. I remember one of my Republican family members stating the prevailing philosophy at the time: "Let the Queers die." I didn't speak to this family member for some time. I devoted myself to HIV/AIDS prevention and education, with particular emphasis on getting and staying sober from drugs and alcohol. Although these social lubricants make it easier to engage in sexual activity, they also make it more likely that one could wind up with the wrong person or engaging in unsafe activity due to the confusion brought on by inebriation. Yet, even in the 1990's, the Log Cabin Republicans soldiered on, even after having a sizable contribution returned to them by a major Republican candidate. However, I had two Log Cabin friends who eventually abandoned their efforts and joined the Democratic party. I also find it interesting that as the Tea Party demagogues (Sara Palin, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Rupert Murdoch) push the Republican Party even further into Right Wing extremism, some Republicans are fighting back, even coming out themselves! This would have been unheard of in the 1990's. Personally, I'm happy with a traditional marriage and am hoping to adopt children soon, but I believe in Christian love and charity for all. Demonizing people for an orientation not of their own making (according to both the American Psychiatric Association and American Psychological Association) is just not consistent with my spiritual values and commitment to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Education Matters: Bitter Taste, Bad Letter

2010-09-22T11:11:00.000-07:00

Education Matters: Bitter Taste, Bad Letter

The birth of a non-profit, Be Ready Bear

2010-09-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

I have been reading about sponsored tweets and exploring tweets in general. The following is a link about advertising non-profits through sponsored tweets. When I first signed up to use Twitter a few months ago, it was quite difficult. I didn't understand how to sign up to follow twitter accounts I was interested and almost none of my friends were tweeting. Now, more people are tweeting and they have improved the service so it is easier to use. I did have some difficulty updating my profile - I'm not sure why. I updated it today with a photo, one of my websites, and a bio. I also added a theme. Of course, I need to have something to tweet about, so that's inspiring me to contribute to this blog. Below is a link about using sponsored tweets to help advertise your non-profit. I'm close to creating my non-profit - I now have the paperwork done, including a business plan, a board and am ready to go back to the State of Florida's website to register it. Finding people to serve on the board was the hardest part, but that has finally come together. Since it is about preparing for natural disasters, I tried to do most of the organizing while we were in the off- hurricane season here in FL, but that proved to be a problem. People just weren't as interested. Now that we are in peak season, we went through Tropical Storm Bonnie and Texas and Mexico has been hit with hurricanes, people are interested. Human nature! I started with creating a family-oriented website, www.bereadybear.com. People enjoy the website because it has cute pictures of Be Ready Bear. They log on and read it when they would not log onto the readiness part of the National Hurricane Center's website. Human nature again. Eventually I want to put games on there, which will help make it even more fun. Comments welcome regarding hurricane prep, other natural disasters, organizational psychology, non-profits, tweeting, etc.

http://sponsoredtweets.com/twitter_advertising/non-profit-causes/

Certified Letter sent to Sallie Mae re fraud loan

2010-09-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

I've been devoting a lot of time and energy to keeping Sallie Mae from gobbling up the small amount of income I earn from Medicare for treating elderly patients. I have been researching fraud in student lending, other complaints against Union Institute and University, contacting attorneys, as well as writing to my congressional representative. Union Institute and University pushed me and hundreds of other doctoral candidates into borrowing under an expensive private lending program, rather than the federal loans which we qualified for. All of the research I did went into that letter, which should help me if Sallie Mae takes me to court to collect money for a degree I never received.
I was just managing to keep up with most of the paperwork for my Medicare job in addition to all the clinical appointments, and then I became sick last week with a slight cold. I'm almost caught up, but I'm frustrated because I haven't been able to engage in much activism with regard to the student loan issue. I'm also in the process of creating a non profit organization called Be Ready Bear, which will help individuals and organizations prepare for natural disasters. I know that other educated people who would be creating organizations and thus jobs are also struggling with staggering student loans. The education that was supposed to empower us has now turned into a liability. However, I will not give up. I am eating an organic, vegetarian diet which is good for myself and the planet, and I have a strong faith in a power greater than myself.

Higher Education Fraud,Bankers, and Union Institute and University

2010-08-25T05:52:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, two largely unregulatated systems came together in order to create one of the worst and well-funded scams in the history of the United States. Banks and other institutions that created "financial products" were allowed to take almost unlimited risks to lend to individuals, businesses, and institutions such as universities that were not credit worthy.
When I borrowed to attend Union Institute and University, I was misinformed by both the university and the bank who lent me the money to attend. Union Insitute and University stated that it was reorganizing and restructuring in order to provide better service to its students. That was in 2004. In 2006, the same university was fined $1 million for lost documents. They lost documents because they were unable to hire adequate faculty and staff to meet the needs of their students in a timely and appropriate manner. The government has no power to shut Union down because universities are hiding behind the mantle of academic freedom. The government does have the power to allow banks to take money from student borrowers to support their incompetence. The government did suspend federal financial aid in 2004, but Union then turned to so-called "private" lenders to finance it's financially unsound and academically incompetent enterprise.
The bank, in this case Sallie Mae, masqueraded as a private and legitimate financial institution that had partnered with a legitimate university to offer private loans. Sallie Mae was not legitimate, because they were not checking the credit worthiness of their borrowers, and they were not associated with a legitimate University. They were also not private. They were not private because their loans are defacto, although not officially, guaranteed by the government. Banks offering private student loans had protected themselves with a law passed in 2002 that essentially enslaves student borrowers. The government allows the banks to take money out of your pocket until you draw your last breath whether you are in a officially government-sponsored student loan program, or a "private" student loan program. Bankruptcy is not allowed for student borrowers. Disability and unemployment are also not considered legitimate reasons to let a student out of payments. Money is dunned from your disability or unemployment checks. Where are the Republicans who should be objecting to the government's heavy hand in this situation? They are raking it in, because they invested in this scam, and are making money hand over fist.

Social Worker Burnout 75% :(

2010-07-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some grim statistics! This post is related to my previous blog about a social worker who had a breakdown in front of me at a nursing home facility I was working in some time ago.

Social workers have to enter reports in medical charts, in addition to spending time with emotionally distressed clients!

A recent investigation of 751 social workers found that 39% of the social workers reported experiencing current symptoms of burnout at the time of the interview and 75% reported experiencing burnout at some point in their career. Other investigations found levels of burnout to be significantly higher among social workers than health professionals in similar professions like occupational therapy. In a study on retention and dropout rates of social workers in direct practice, a study by Maslach showed that 73% of social workers had considered leaving their current job at one time.

One upgrade for social workers would be to allow them to use computers. Some of the nursing homes I visit have computers for their social workers, and some don't. I would love to be able to submit my notes electronically. There is a bill that would allow behavioral healthcare professionals to have electronic records. What would also help is to increase the use of interns at facilities for both social workers and psychologists, increase the use of caseworkers, and for administrators to spend more time facilitating better communication between the Director of Nursing and the Social Worker. Nurses need to have sensitivity training regarding mental health issues. In fact, since many communities have sensitivity training for Law Enforcement Officers in place, why not require the RNS (Registered Nurses), LPNS, (Licensed Practical Nurses) and CNAS (Certified Nursing Assistants) to take the same courses? They are usually the first responders in crisis situations in nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. Often, psychologists (my profession) and social workers are seen as being overly sympathetic to clients who are having behavior problems. Behavior which would be appropriate in a social situation with normal people can have the effect of provoking a psychotic break down, thus endangering the client and staff member alike. So, underpaid, stressed-out social workers are often provide the safety net for all concerned. Their efforts are often unappreciated, thus adding to their stress.

The current political climate is only making the situation worse. Wealthy political operatives such as the Koch brothers, oil billionaires, are using institutes who are staffed by people with questionable academic credentials or non at all to make spurious claims about social services, lumping them in with "Big Government". Somehow, underpaid social workers are considered in the same category as corrupt politicians. Because there is so much money funding these false claims in the media, many people believe it and are voting away money for the very services we all depend on. Paul Krugman, a columnist for the New York Times, has written
extensively on this issue.

Oversimplified concepts such as the "Big Goverment" slander shown above only add to social worker woes.

References:

Another Bank Bailout, Paul Krugman, New York Times, June 10, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/11/opinion/krugman-another-bank-bailout.html

SEP 2007,DOI: 10.1002/job.4030020205The measurement of experienced burnout†Christina Maslach1,*, Susan E. Jackson2

Social work, stress and burnout: A review2002, Vol. 11, No. 3 , Pages 255-265 (doi:10.1080/09638230020023642) Chris Lloyd, Robert King and Lesley Chenoweth

Education Matters: Bitter Taste, Bad Letter

2010-07-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

Education Matters: Bitter Taste, Bad Letter

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2010-07-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

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